Hello, I am currently in the market for a new mower. I have been pricing them out and they all tend to be in the 7500-8000 dollars range. I live in CT. This is my first year doing landscaping and it has been awesome so far. I bought an older scag turf tiger for this year and have already thrown 1500 dollars into it. It has been in the shop more than on the lawns. I am going to be selling it and in the market for a new mower. Today I went to the local Ferris dealer and took a look at their IS1500Z and IS2000Z. They both looked like pretty solid machines, and both with a 25 hp kawi. The 1500 was going for $7700 and the 2000 was going for $9000. I am also looking into a scag tiger cub as well, which has a 25 hp kawi as well. They are asking $7600 for the scag. I am looking for someone who might have had experience with both mowers, and recomends one over the other. I like the independent suspension on the Ferris and have had nothing but problems with my scag. They are the same price, same engine...Which one is a better machine?? Any help would be great! Thanks.

Brian

Steve

08-23-2008, 10:41 PM

This is really a great post. It does make you wonder if you would be better off with two used mowers where you could use one as a back up in case another was down.

Brian are you pretty handy with mechanics and taking things apart and fixing them or would you rather just have newer equipment?

I bought an older scag turf tiger for this year and have already thrown 1500 dollars into it.

When you bought it, how many hours were on it?

What kind of things did you have to replace to hit the $1,500 mark?

briandel265

08-25-2008, 08:34 PM

I bought the used scag with about 730 hours on it.(now it has 780hrs) At my local dealer they told me that it was built before 1998 because it did not have the Advantage Deck on it. I did not think that 730 hours was alot though. The mower has had problems with the carborator, the gearbox froze up on it, and the driveshaft is being replaced now. I am not too mechanically handy unless I would love to not have to pay the dealer $75 an hour. The reason that I am deciding to go with a new mower is; Financing and having a monthly payment is the only way that I would be able to afford something newer. Although the interest rates are outrageous I hope to pay it off in less than a year; also I am looking forward to having a 2 year warentee just incase anything does to wrong with it I know I wont have to throw money into it. I currently have a 52' Scag walk behind that I use for smaller lawns and while my mowers been in the shop- so thats really been my backup mower. I do have a few large accounts that I have walked behind (while rider was in the shop) which means im working Saturday and Sunday. I just need a reliable rider mower, and this way seems to make the most sence to me.

Steve

08-25-2008, 10:43 PM

What kind of interest rates are being offered for the mowers now? What does it work out to in monthly payments?

Also have you considered leasing mowers? Any thoughts on that?

briandel265

08-26-2008, 01:07 PM

The Scag is offering financing at about 13% and Ferris is about 7% if I read it correctly. Monthly payments would work out to about $150 for 5 years but you can apply money to principle whenever. I found a dealer in CT that is selling the Ferris IS1500 model for $6400 new. This seems like a really good deal to me. Lowest price by far. What do you think?

What is leasing a mower? Benifits and cons?

Steve

08-26-2008, 09:18 PM

This is a real good question.

If you are paying $150.00 per month for 5 years, that totals $9,000.

If I were looking to buy, I would want to know what the cost of the mower was. What interest rate I would get and how long would I have to pay it back.

What would it cost to lease the machine and do they limit the number of hours on it? How much would it cost to lease the mower and over how long of a period of time?

One of our friends, Tim, had this to say on leasing in another post.

If you can afford to purchase equipment then great. Leasing agents are tricky and there arent many for our industry, bobcat sales has a leasing company, scag has a leasing company, i think most do use the same one but these I know have them. IF you have already spent the cash to purchase the plowing equipment, good for you. This is an addition to your Company's Value. When you purchase equipment it become Fixed Assets and adds value to your company.

When to lease or when to buy. This is a tough question because you are the only one that knows how strong your company is in Buying Power. Owning is always better, but if your short on capital cash then with leasing you receive tax benefits on the lease and it will eventually become part of your Fixed Assets.

Factors to consider when Purchasing Equipment;
1. How fast am I getting return on my investment? Basicly how fast is this thing going to pay for itself. 1, 2, 3 seasons?
2. If I use this once or twice a year do I realy need to purchase it?
3. If I purchase this equipment will I still have operating cash if something like a rainy day hits?

These are just some of the things I ask myself when deciding to purchase equipment.

Only lease 3 years IF you don't have the Capital to purchase.
Both ways have their benefits, and only the LCO will know what is best for them and their current Buying Power, anytime you make a major purchase, 5k and over you really need to think and ask yourself many questions weighing out the PRO's and CON's. I would say anything like trucks and New large equipment should be discussed with your Accontant he/she will be able to help with this if you are unsure which is best for your company.

Let me know if you find out more of those figures. I think they would be helpful in analyzing this question.

oxfordlawn

10-04-2008, 09:54 PM

I am fairly new to this industry but I own a Ferris and I have used other brand ride-on z-turns. Let me tell you I will never never own anything but a ferris again. Nothing beats the ride with the independent suspension at all wheels. I dont know about anyone else, but at the end of the day, my back was pretty sore after being jostled around on a no suspension mower and a rough property. NOT ANY MORE!!
Im 42 and have learned to be nice to my body. You cant put a price on body and health...and price for price..the Ferris is a little cheaper and cuts awesome.
Anyway, thats my 2 cents worth...remember you have a long hard life of abusing your body, take care of it :)

Steve

10-05-2008, 02:05 PM

Did you find you paid a premium for that suspension or was the price comparable to other mowers in it's class?

oxfordlawn

10-05-2008, 09:10 PM

The Ferris 44" commercial 1500 series was on the lower side on the price ranges for other mowers in its class. Im not sure what the industry thinks of the Ferris brand as a whole, but so far mine has been great, it has 205 hrs. on it and never a problem yet that wasnt caused by me being stupid ( bent blades). The 44" ferris commercial grade was $5900.00 but was able to talk down to $5500.00 The john Deere 48" was $6900 and the scag 48" was $7300.00. The only that was the same price that I looked at was Hustler coming in at $5600. Taking all this into account and the fact of suspension my 42 year old back needs, I went with the Ferris and love it.
I would like to know where Ferris stands on the popularity scale among other brand names though.

joplingrasshopper

12-12-2008, 08:32 AM

I own a ferris mower and I cannot say enough about it. The suspension is great I dont have to slow down when i get in a yard that is alittle rough. I bought mine from a local dealer and he has 3 years same as cash on any purchase over $500. I bought the IS500Z with a 52" deck. I paid $4999.99 for it and now after having it this season I wouldnt own anything else.

Mike's LawnCare Landscape

12-16-2008, 03:27 PM

Ferris all the way Here.Besides a Walker thats the only 2 mowers for now. Besides the Honda Trim mowers!!!

barry

12-20-2008, 09:09 AM

I too am looking at a Ferris. I used a 61 " and it was great. I am thinking about leasing one. I have a Dixie Chopper which I like too. The dixie is faster but ferris rides better. I wiil be 55 so I am looking for a better ride. The ferris I am looking at is a 52" but they won't have one until after the 1st of the year. I will be going to the Dealer on Monday to discuss leasing one.
Has anyone had any problems with the Ferris? Can anyone tell me some pros or cons about the Ferris?

Merry Christmas to all!
Barry & Myrlin

mtshadows

07-15-2010, 11:35 PM

Totally new to the forum...googling on new mowers and found this..
I own a ferris and have used it nearly 3 seasons. Its the 1500z. It just worked for my price point at the time. My two cents on what I read so far..I would not finance it if I could avoid it. If you do keep your payments as low as possible. I tried to pay it off in a year and did not, and hand to scramble to figure something out. I love the ferris and mine has the weak suspension. I have the catcher on it and have found that I think it lacks a little power. Only 19 horse on a 44. I would like to have had a little beefier engine. I have blown a valve and had some battery issues but all around a great machine. I am not in love with the bagger....it leaves a lot of "stuff" left on the lawn. Currently researching putting a larger higher HP engine into it. Anybody have any suggestions

deerhuntr

02-24-2011, 12:09 AM

I love my ferris is500. It is the smoothest riding zero turn I have ever been on. I used it last year with no problems at all. I got a 3 year warranty with mine which is a year more than advertised. I got it during a promo that was going on and recieved an extra year on it. I paid 5399.00 for mine. I will continue to buy Ferris mowers for a long time. My next mower will be the Ferris is2000

Steve

02-25-2011, 12:56 PM

What made you decide to go with that mower over others? Were you able to demo it before you bought it?

wellbiz

02-25-2011, 01:23 PM

I cant say enough good things about Ferris. I have a 36" walk behind and it has been great. Looking at getting an evolution this season.

cracka69

02-12-2012, 08:17 PM

For what it's worth and i know it's been a while since the last reply here, but i've got a ferris IS2000Z zero turn, 61" deck with 30hp b&s 'big block' and it is amazing.
My only regret is the i didn't do this sooner.
We've been through smaller mowers and ride-ons and i regret not doing this many years ago.
The ferris is bullet proof, comfortable and we've done things with the ferris that would make the ferris engineers cry in their breakfast, but it keeps going, it keeps cutting and it keeps saving my back with the suspension.

Steve

02-13-2012, 03:13 PM

My only regret is the i didn't do this sooner.

What's your view on why you didn't do it sooner? Knowing this may help others in the same position as you once were.

cracka69

02-13-2012, 11:28 PM

Thanks Steve,
purely the time it saves
As an example there's one block i cut with a lot of trees in it, with the little tractors it used to take 2-3hrs depending on grass etc
With the ferris it is 45 MINUTES as you can spin around any obstacle in the seconds, and cut right up to it without taking two or three turns or having to come back with the line trimmer
Another block that used to take 1hr now takes 11 (eleven) MINUTES
I know this sounds extreme, however they are my real figures
The quality of cut is good
It does take some time to get the hang of using a zero turn if you have never used them before, but they are seriously worth the investment in time to learn
Maintenance has been good, you shred the cutting belt once in a while but no more and no less than any other ride on
The suspension on the ferris is another huge factor as it saves your back a lot
I've used some others without suspension and i really, really question how much of a hit your body takes with them
I guess it's a case of being spoilt now so going back to anything else would be hard
The only down side i can say is that you are much more focused on what is in front of you so you do not take in the area around you
People i used to wave to and see around now come up to me and say 'didn't you see me?'
And i have to answer that no, i did not, i was too focused on what i was doing and a lot of that is simply the speed that you are cutting at, things happen much more quickly and you have to pay attention all the time
So it's got my vote and happy to answer any specific questions
Thanks